Posting a picture on social media is truly an anxious task. Many may scoff at the idea, or mock it, but it is a genuine concern. To post something you are proud of, something that you think looks good, and get little to no responses is, in this day and age, worrisome. Was it a bad photo? Was it not a good quality? Was it disinteresting? These anxieties are becoming more and more common place as we become more focused on social media.
To relieve these anxieties, I will today discuss the social media algorithm and expand on how you can make use of the algorithm if you want more likes, if you want to further engage people in your content or even if you just want a better curated social media. Understanding the algorithm can crucial in finding a new audience, or if you’re aiming for influencer status then it is important in really building up that engagement with your followers. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
First off – what exactly is the “social media algorithm”?
Have you ever been recommended a video on Facebook and thought – wow! This is so me?
That’s the algorithm. This is the same with advertisements – by cataloguing your online behavioural, shopping history, even how long you can spend on a single page the algorithm picks up a lot about you, who you are, what you’re interested in and what people similar to you are interested in. It’s not entirely limited to this however. It can be as simple as showing your close friends, families and loved ones first in your social media timelines because that’s who you talk with most, that’s who the algorithm has figured is most important to you.
Secondly – what can I use the social media algorithm for?
Are you a Youtuber? Do you have a blog? If you use social media for a creative outlet then understanding the algorithm is crucial for building engagement. Engagement is all about getting those likes, getting comments, shares. If you offer your followers something to discuss, something that’s interesting then they’ll engage with you. This can be asking a question, or using shares/retweets/likes for opinion polls (as shown in the image example above). If you can get your engagement levels up then followers and likes will increase, people will see you more often on their feed, their comments will be shown to people similar to your followers, you’ll be able to reach a wider audience.
Thirdly, how can I use the social media algorithm?
Some other methods of how to use the social media algorithm include:
- Tagging others in your photos – extend your reach! Tag friends, family, brands, whatever you want to tag and you will find others who share similar common interests.
- Using hashtags. If you use the correct hashtags (#socialmediaalgorithm) then you’ll be able to narrow down who you want to see your content, who the content is catered to. We’ll have a blog specifically about this, so keep an eye out!
- Timing! Timing is very important, especially given how global social media is. Posting an image at 12pm on a Monday isn’t likely to give you much engagement – people are usually at work, uni, or out – instead try posting during the week at 2pm-3pm when people are commonly on their breaks (or, bored at work – hey, we all do it!)
Well – that’s all for today! Do you have any tips I missed out on? Did you use these tips? Feel free to leave a comment and let us know.
M.
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